This invention pertains to an input device for a sewing machine. More particularly, the invention pertains to an industrial sewing machine input device used to program stitching patterns.
In the past, industrial sewing machine input devices have been provided which recorded stitching patterns on magnetic discs, magnetic cards, or floppy discs. Thereafter, the recording media was inserted into a reading device, the stepping motor received the recorded instructions from the reading device and moved the work holder of the sewing machine in accordance with the stored instructions. Thereby, automatic stitching was performed.
In the known past, the sewing machine input device has always required its own work station. For example, the inflection points of a stitch pattern would be inputted to a digitizer by using a stylus. After checking the stitch pattern formed and pictured on a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, the stitch pattern was completed. The known input devices for this purpose were bulky and required a specific work station such as a desk. Thus, the prior sewing machine input devices required much hardware to form stitch patterns, and consequently were complicated and expensive.
Prior sewing machine input work stations were also physically separated from the sewing machine. Therefore, to test run the stitch pattern required the recording media, which contained the stitch pattern, to be removed from the input device and inserted into the reading section of the sewing machine. In other words, stitching design and test sewing could not be directly connected.
Furthermore, sewing machines have peculiar individual workability due to variability and specialties between machines. Therefore, with prior input devices it was virtually impossible to make stitch pattern programs which were accurately adapted to multiple individual sewing machines.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a sewing machine input device which is not tied to a particular work station.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sewing machine input device which can provide ready testing of inputted stitching patterns.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a sewing machine input device which is handy, simple, inexpensive and effective to make stitching pattern programs and to test run the patterns in connection with sewing machine operation.